The present invention relates to a system comprising at least two devices in wireless communication with each other and to a method for monitoring the communication between the at least two devices. In particular, the invention relates to a system comprising a base device and at least one remote device. The remote device may be a medical or pharmaceutical device, such as an infusion, injection or inhalation device.
A variety of applications for devices that wirelessly communicate with each other are known, such as the field of mobile communications and personal identification. In existing wireless communication systems, one of the devices typically comprises a stationary base device, which has a transmitting and receiving unit. A further device is typically mobile and may easily be carried by a user. The mobile device may likewise comprise a transmitting and receiving unit or just a transmitting unit or a receiving unit. When the mobile device is switched on and wireless communication with the base device established, the base device identifies the network address of the mobile device and the mobile device receives an indication that communication between the base device and the mobile device is successfully established and that the mobile device is ready for use.
In the case of a stationary base device and a mobile device, when the mobile device comes into sufficient proximity with the base device, the two devices enter into wireless communication with each other as soon as the distance between the devices is less than a maximum operational distance. When communication between the two devices is established, the mobile device is identified by the base device and an indication is transmitted by the base device to indicate whether identification has been successful or unsuccessful.
In the case of wireless communication performed by mobile phones, the quality of the reception of a signal from a base station is customarily indicated on a display on the mobile phone as a bar diagram. However, no warning is given if the reception of the signal is no longer sufficient to ensure communication between the mobile phone and the base station.
However, it is desirable to detect and anticipate an interruption or disturbance of the wireless communication between devices before the interruption or disturbance occurs, which would avoid instances of damage and delays in sequences that are monitored by the device system, such as manufacturing processes. In the case of medical or pharmaceutical applications of wireless communications, timely warning of an anticipated loss of communication between two devices that communicate with each other would allow for proactively avoiding the anticipated interruption thereby allowing for treatment procedures to be safely carried out and for continuous care of a patient.